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New school year brings new warning about teen drinking

Alcohol can have immediate, lasting impacts on teen brain

By Times Staff

Posted:
08/15/2013 04:00:00 PM MDT

The "Speak Now" campaign, spearheaded by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health, is alerting parents about the consequences of teen drinking as students head back to school throughout Colorado.

Underage alcohol use is illegal, and as the latest research with Colorado high school students shows, creates both immediate and lasting impacts on the teen brain, a press release said.

The most recent data available from the 2011 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey indicates one in four Colorado high school students reported binge drinking (5 or more drinks at a time) in the past month, affecting their decision-making. Students who reported binge drinking were five times more likely to use marijuana, and twice as likely to seriously consider suicide than their peers who did not report binge drinking. This is especially troubling as the latest regional data available, from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, found only 33-percent of teens in eastern Colorado thought binge drinking carried great risks.

"This school year, it's important both parents and teens understand the variety of risks associated with underage drinking," said Stan Paprocki, Director of Prevention and Early Intervention for the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, in the press release. "Teen brains are hard at work preparing for adulthood. Frequent, heavy alcohol use during this time can greatly influence decision-making, mental health, and even impact memory, making it difficult to learn."

Findings published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and available at SpeakNowColorado.org, show heavy alcohol use during teenage years can actually shrink the area of the brain controlling memory, and damage the area of the brain controlling emotions and urges. These effects can lead to memory and emotional problems that last into adulthood.

Particularly important as teens head back to school is alcohol's effect on memory. Memory problems make it more difficult for teen drinkers to learn and retain new information. This was evident in the 2011 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey which found nearly 80-percent of students who did not binge drink received "mostly A's and B's" in school, compared to less than two-thirds (65-percent) of binge drinking students.

The "Speak Now" campaign is a statewide effort, funded by SAMHSA, and created in response to alarming statistics showing Colorado ranked 9th in the country for teen binge drinking. The campaign focuses on providing Colorado parents and guardians with facts and information to help them discuss the dangers of teen drinking with their kids. Parents remain one of the most effective deterrents to teen alcohol use. The comprehensive online resource SpeakNowColorado.org provides information ranging from how to bring up the issue of teen drinking, allows parents to send text messages to teens directly from the site, and defines the legal consequences of underage alcohol use and providing alcohol to teens.

The campaign efforts will be supported through a statewide media buy, including television, internet and radio ads, as well as providing informational materials to community prevention efforts throughout Colorado.